person:daniele guido

Croatian court condemns football chief for gay hate | Gay Star News
►http://www.gaystarnews.com/node/5812

Croatian court condemns football chief for gay hate
Vlatko Markovic, former president of the football federation, said: ’Footballers are not gay, they are healthy people.’ Now tribunal rules he must apologize
06 November 2012 | By Daniele Guido Gessa
Vlatko Markovic has been condemned by the Croatian Supreme Court for his homophobic comments.

The Croatian Supreme Court has ordered the former chief of the HNS, the national football federation, to publicly apologize for his homophobia.

Vlatko Markovic, 75, said to a journalist asking him if he had ever met a gay footballer: ‘No, fortunately football is only played by healthy people.

‘As long as I am president, I won’t permit any gay footballer.’

Now a tribunal has banned Markovic from any further discriminatory comments and ruled he must pay to publish both his apology and the court’s ruling in local newspapers.

Markovic quit his job last July. He made the homophobic comment to the Vecernji List daily newspaper.

Even though Markovic apologized for his comments some days later, several Croatian LGBT associations sued him for discrimination.

The European Football’s Association had already fined Markovic over his remarks.

A court in Zagreb rejected the case last year, but the associations appealed to the Supreme Court.

A group of gay activists issued a statement following the court’s decision: ‘Now we are very happy, this is a victory.’

Two out of three gay Italians discriminated against | Gay Star News
►http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/two-out-three-gay-italians-discriminated-against011112

Two out of three gay Italians discriminated against
A survey by Rome county and European Union shows that 73% of LGBT people are victims of hate at school, at work and in everyday life
01 November 2012 | By Daniele Guido Gessa
Discrimination in Italy: 73% of LGBT people are victims of gay hate.

Two out of three lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Italians are still discriminated against, claims a survey of students and LGBT activists by Rome county, Provincia di Roma.

According to the study, 73% of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Italians have been victims of some sort of discrimination at school, at work, among relatives and in everyday life.

The survey is part of a European project against discrimination. Called ‘Niso’, it has also been carried out in Belgium, Holland and Estonia.

In Italy, the results are something new. It’s the first time that an official study reveals such widespread gay hate in society.

According to the interviewees, the most discriminatory environments are the neighborhood (65%), school (59%) and group of friends (58%).

New media and social networks are a new environment of gay hate: 30% of the interviewees named the web as a source of discrimination.

More than a 1,000 people have been interviewed, with three Roman high schools analyzed by the researchers.

In general, transgender people and gay men think they face discrimination more than lesbian women. And 55% of them think that Italy is still a place where life is hard.

The research focused also on stereotypes. According to 40% of students, gay men are ‘easily’ recognizable by their clothes, voices and physical appearance.

On the opposite side, only 20% of students think that lesbian women are recognizable.

Despite the law, gay Italians find a way to ’adopt’ a child | Gay Star News
►http://www.gaystarnews.com/article/despite-law-gay-italians-find-way-adopt-child041012

Despite the law, gay Italians find a way to ’adopt’ a child
LGBT association Equality Italia launches a campaign to get more gays and lesbians to ’adopt’ a child living in poverty abroad
04 October 2012 | By Daniele Guido Gessa
Equality Italia president Aurelio Mancuso launched a campaign for adoption by LGBT people.

The LGBT Italian association Equality Italia has launched a campaign to encourage single gays or lesbians, or same-sex couples to ’adopt’ a child living in poverty abroad.

The campaign is called ‘Io ce l’ho grande il cuore’ or ‘My heart is very big’ and it’s thought to be the first of its type to target LGBT people.

Many Italians use ’long distance adoption’ to support a child living in poverty in another country - though the ’adoption’ does not, of course, make them the legal parents or guardians of the child.